Under the Heiress' Facade

Chapter 358

"Everyone thought you were dead back then, but I refused to believe it. I searched for you tirelessly, but I never found you.

"To keep myself from giving up, I created this periodic table," Bernard explained while looking at the meticulously maintained chart on the wall.Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

Hera gazed at the periodic table, noting the pristine glass. It was obviously maintained daily.

"I've been collecting two elements each year in my search for you. And I vowed to continue until the table was complete or until I couldn't find you," Bernard continued.

Hera turned her gaze to Bernard. His chiseled profile caused her heart to pound heavily.

There were 118 elements in the periodic table, and collecting two yearly would take him 59 years.

12 years ago, Bernard was just a 13-year-old boy when he made that stubborn promise to find Hera.

Throughout that time, Hera blamed Bernard for not accompanying her to Catherine's house and deliberately avoided him.

"Why didn't you come to the station to meet me back then?" Hera asked.

After Lucius was imprisoned, Daphne spent months investigating the incident to clear his name.

When she had finally found some leads, she received death threats from an unknown source. To protect Hera and Bernard, Daphne planned to take them to Catherine's house.

But on the day they were supposed to leave, Bernard changed his mind at the last minute and decided not to go.

That same day, after Daphne had taken Hera to Catherine's house, she died in a car accident on her way back to the Killian residence.

When Hera heard about Daphne's accident, she cried and wanted to return to the Killian residence to find Daphne, but Catherine stopped her.

Catherine warned Hera that returning could mean risking her life, as the Killian family might silence them both.

Refusing to believe Catherine, Hera secretly called Bernard and begged him to take her back to the Killian residence.

She sneaked out of Catherine's house and waited for him at the station all day, but he never showed. Instead, she was abducted by traffickers.

Hera couldn't recall much after the kidnapping. She only remembered that two days later, Catherine found her. They were on the run for six months before they settled in the mountains near the border Content

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They might not have been separated for so many years if Bernard had gone with her to Catherine's house.

"I did go to the station to meet you. But Chad's men caught me en route," Bernard said grimly.

Even though his gaze was fixed on the periodic table, he was lost in somber memories.

"By the time I escaped and reached the station, you were gone. Mrs. Jones' house was also burned down."

Hera recalled how Catherine had

indeed set fire to her house and

faked their deaths before they went on the run. Looking at Bernard and then at the periodic table, she suddenly felt a sense of calm.

She moved to speak, wanting to comfort Bernard, but couldn't find the words. Instead, she changed the subject.

"So, you searched for me all these years just because I'm your niece?"

"It wasn't just because of that," Bernard replied cryptically.

Realizing something, Hera leaned closer.

"Oh?"

Bernard hesitated to find the right words as he met her inquisitive gaze. He wondered if she would find it strange to know he'd harbored feelings for her since they were children.

He raised an eyebrow and mimicked her tone, saying, "Oh?"

Since he didn't elaborate, Hera tried a different approach, "When did you start liking me?"

"Figure it out yourself," Bernard responded.

Hera felt a mix of frustration and amusement. He hadn't been this mysterious when he was pursuing her before.